Dosing devices and material feed mechanisms used in many areas of industrial production to supply measured quantities of bulk materials to their further use. These bulk materials have most varied characteristics. Thus, it happens frequently that in a manufacturing sequence different bulk materials are used at different times. Such different bulk materials may, for example, have different grain sizes or may include components at differing mixing ratios or the like. Also materials calling for different pretreatments may be involved. As a result, such production sequences usually require at least that the dosing mechanisms must be cleaned when a change over from one material to another material takes place. Further, it may become necessary to exchange components of the dosing device or to add or remove components for a particular purpose.
The trade publication "Handling", September 1990, page 112, describes a dosing apparatus of the type here involved. Such a dosing apparatus functions as a modular differential dosing scale, including a supply container with a vertical stirring mechanism and with a tiltable worm feeder. These components are supported by load cells forming the measuring components of the scale. These load cells are arranged between a four-legged carrier frame and the just outlined components. The stirring mechanism is arranged on top of the supply container and reaches vertically into the supply container at the upper outer rim thereof to which the stirring mechanism is connected. The tiltable worm feeder is secured to the discharge opening of the supply container by a mounting hinge which permits only a limited lateral tilting within the framework itself. The worm feeder remains connected during the tilting with the discharge port of the supply container. Therefore, it is not possible to move the worm feeder completely away from the supply container. As a result, it remains difficult to gain complete access to the worm feeder so that maintenance and repair work is difficult to perform. In case it should become necessary to incorporate into the known apparatus additional components such as a second stirring mechanism or a double worm feeder instead of the single worm feeder, such incorporation would require a substantial mounting effort and expense.
An article entitled "Abfuellen, Dosieren, Mischen nach Gewicht" (Filling, Dosing, Mixing According to Weight), by H. Weinberg in the German Trade Magazine "Die Chemische Produktion" (The Chemical Production), May 1984, starting at page 36, provides general background information regarding such dosing devices and their use in industry.
Additional background information is provided by an article entitled "Entwicklungslinien der Schuettgutdosiertechnik" (Development Lines of the Bulk Material Dosing Technique), by G. Vetter et al. in the German Trade Magazine "Chem.-Ing.-Tech." Volume 62 (1990), No. 9, pages 695 to 706.
Both Trade Publications do not disclose any features regarding the present invention, except for general background information.